In the administering of anaesthesic gases to patients a mask is placed over the nose or mouth of the patient and a controlled amount of the gas is permitted to flow into the mask. Inhalation of anaesthetic gas can be used to achieve a long range of predictable responses to pain which permits medical processes such as dental work to be performed on the patient with less sensation of pain.
In systems used previously a substantial amount of the gas either escaped or was emptied into the room in which the patient is located. Approximately 5 to 10 liters of gas are delivered to a patient under anaesthesia or analgesia.
Some of this gas is absorbed into the body of the patient but the excess gas is allowed to escape into the surrounding environment through a pressure relief valve. The gas which is absorbed into the body during anaesthesia also is exhaled by the patient as soon as the anaesthetic gas flow has been stopped resulting in virtually all the gas which has been administered to the patient under the present process being ultimately dumped into the room.
A growing concern for the side effects of the escaped gases on the health of the operating personnel has been voiced by many medical groups and committees. The high level of waste anaesthesia present in operatories today are unnecessary and possibly harmful to the personnel involved. Hospitals have already started to make moves to effectively scavenge the anaesthetic gases in their operatories to decrease the levels of gas inspired by their operating personnel. Dental offices on the other hand have had fewer regulations and levels that have been found in dental offices have been much higher and it is the aim of this product to help the dentist in his efforts to scavenge waste gases in the future. Thus it is the primary purpose of this invention to provide a process for administering anaesthesic gases in a manner to limit the exposure of the medical personnel to high concentrations of the gas both during the administering process and afterwards.